Rezence Wireless Power System to Launch by Year End

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Proponents of wireless device charging got a big boost today with the formal debut of Rezence, a new brand that's being spearheaded by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), a nonprofit industry group. Rezence is a new standard that will be used across a wide range of consumer electronics. Backed by Qualcomm, Samsung, HTC, LG, Broadcom, and dozens of other high-tech companies located across the globe, the A4WP is set to begin certifying Rezence-compatible products within the next few weeks.

The A4WP was founded in 2012 with the goal of unifying technical standards for cable-free power transfer and battery recharging. The organization includes members not just from mobile device manufacturing but also from the automotive industry, software developers, and even furniture builders. The goal with Rezence is simple: To turn "almost any surface" into a wireless charging system that can power any device with the Rezence logo. (The name is derived from the words "resonance" and "essence.")

The implications of broad support for Rezence are instantly exciting. In the future, you won't have to plug your smart phone into a USB connection in order to charge it while you're driving your car. If your vehicle supports Rezence, you'll just drop it on the appropriate surface to power it up while you tour around town. Likewise, if your tablet is low on juice while you're spending a layover at the airport, you'll just look for a Rezence-compatible table to place your device instead of having to huddle next to a power outlet like a feral animal. Even new laptops will have the ability to include Rezence compatibility. According to the A4WP, Rezence can be easily integrated into existing furniture and surfaces to turn them into "drop and charge" stations.

Of course, wireless charging technology isn't a new idea, but until now there have been relatively few options available to consumers, and various implementations of the technology have been incompatible with one another and have only worked with a handful of devices. With its vast industry support, Rezence could finally provide what consumers have been clamoring after for years: A genuine way to recharge all of their devices no matter where they go, finally letting them leave that tangle of cables and a/c adapters behind.